Senior Communications Advisor

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

DO YOU SHARE OUR VALUES?

Elections Canada’s mandate is to ensure that all eligible electors have access to the vote in a federal election. We continually monitor barriers faced by Canadians in exercising their franchise and work to ensure they have the information on where, when and ways to vote.

Barriers to federal election participation are especially pronounced for Indigenous electors living in their community or in isolated communities. In light of those barriers and increased interest and expectations in federal elections from Indigenous communities, the Chief Electoral Officer has requested that Elections Canada review its approach to engaging with and delivering public education and election services to Indigenous communities. We are looking for an accomplished Senior Communications Advisor who is knowledgeable and has lived cultural experience to work on the team that will lead the review.

We invite you to join us on this specialized team to help improve voting services and public education about federal elections to Indigenous communities across Canada. You can make a difference in ensuing Indigenous voices are part of the conversation by participating in the Canadian democratic process.

This opportunity is opened to all who self-declare as First Nations, Inuit or Métis, however preference will be given to persons identifying as Indigenous living in their community. For the purpose of staffing within the federal public service, the term Aboriginal is used, as per the Employment Equity Act, to define a North American Indigenous person as members of First Nations, Inuit or Métis. North American Indigenous people or members of First Nation include treaty, status or registered Indigenous people, as well as those non-status and non-registered. However, please note that the terms Aboriginal and Indigenous are used interchangeably within this job advertisement. Both terms include First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

As this job advertisement is specifically for the recruitment of Indigenous persons we ask that candidates self-declare as an Aboriginal Person (Aboriginal Person is the term used in the Employment Equity Act). Before being hired, you will be asked to complete and sign the Affirmation of Aboriginal Affiliation Form (AAAF).

Are you already an employee of the federal public service? If yes, please apply through the selection process as only applications received directly via the Public Service Resourcing System will be accepted.

If you require accommodations, please contact the HR Advisor listed below before the closing date. We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential. Assessment accommodation.

Duties

Applying a reconciliation lens as a guiding principle throughout the review initiative, this user-centric approach will recognize Indigenous cultures and governance structures.

The mandate of the team assigned to this review will be to:
• Evaluate Elections Canada’s policies, practices and administrative and survey data.
• Research academic publications and corresponding external survey or other data.
• Explore best practices and business models used by other election administrators and government organizations to engage with and deliver services to hard-to-reach populations.
• Engage community leaders, academics and Indigenous stakeholders, along with Elections Canada staff working in the field and at headquarters.
• consider policy and or legislative changes to support the implementation of proposed modifications to business operations.
• Design, conduct and learn from Indigenous culturally sensitive recruitment efforts to fill vacant field administrator and poll worker positions
• Design, deliver and learn from operational changes to the agency’s national policies for delivery of registration, voting and voter information services in response to known barriers for Indigenous communities across Canada as they are ready to be implemented in an election.
• Design, conduct and learn from engagement pilot(s) in response to known barriers when they are ready to be implemented in a General Election.

Work environment

Employment with Elections Canada will allow you to:
• Access work-life balance through a flexible work environment, excellent benefits and a competitive salary
• Put your skills to use and have an impact on your community through your contribution and the quality of your work;
• Innovate, collaborate and challenge the status quo to achieve results for Indigenous people in particular.

The official work location for the position is Gatineau however this opportunity is open to applicants who are located outside the National Capital Region for remote teleworking from your home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of our employees are currently working from home (teleworking). When we reopen our offices, we will be able to consider a variety of work arrangements, including full-time teleworking, full-time office work, or a combination of both, depending on your location and preference.

Intent of the process

The process is intended to fill one position for a period of 2 years with the possibility of extension. The intention is to recruit a qualified person who self-identify as a member of First Nations, Inuit or Métis, however in light of the nature of this special project, preference will be given to persons identifying as Indigenous person living in their community.

A pool of fully or partially qualified candidates may be established to staff positions at the same group and level or equivalent within the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer with various tenures (indeterminate, various specified periods, acting assignments, and interchange opportunities) as well as with various linguistic requirements and profiles (French or English, bilingual imperative (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC or CCC/CCC).

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

Various language requirements
French or English, Bilingual Imperative (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC or CCC/CCC)

Information on language requirements

EDUCATION:
• A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution.
At the manager's discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience, may serve as an alternative to the minimum education standard.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:
• Experience organizing and/or implementing engagement events.
• Experience in creating and writing communications* products using various software and applications.
• Experience in documenting meeting outcomes and project deliverables.

* Communication products is defined as the creation, delivery, management and control of written or visual communications products or services.

KNOWLEDGE:
• Knowledge of best practices in engaging with Indigenous communities

ABILITIES:
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing
• Ability to communicate effectively orally
• Ability to create, write and present communication products
• Ability to analyze and synthesize complex information

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:
• Cultural awareness
• Effective interpersonal relations
• Action-oriented

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

ASSET EXPERIENCE:
• Experience organizing and/or implementing engagement events with indigenous communities.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with First Nations communities.
• Experience using MSOffice suite of products in creating communications products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Publisher) or other acceptable software.

ASSET LANGUAGES:
• Speak one or more Indigenous languages spoken in Canada.

Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity group: Aboriginal persons

Information on employment equity

Elections Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. In order to meet an organizational need, selection will be limited to qualified candidates who self-identify as members of the following equity-seeking group : Aboriginal persons. Preference may be given to those who self-identify as First Nations.

OPERATIONAL NEEDS:
• Willingness and ability to travel across Canada.
• Air travel to remote communities will be required.
• Willingness and ability to work overtime based on operational needs.
• A working Internet connection at home is required to perform the duties of the position.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

CONDTIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
• Consent to observe strict political impartiality and neutrality for the duration of employment.
• A working Internet connection is required to perform the duties of the position.
• Availability and consent to work overtime.

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.